The Return Of Rose
by Stormrose Dewleaf
Summary: My very first fanfiction ever, written five years ago and posted for archival purposes. Rose isn't dead after all, and she manages to find Martin in Mossflower. Please excuse the cheesy, cliche writing of a then twelve year old. XD


I discovered _Redwall_ in the seventh grade. A few books after reading _Martin The Warrior_, I wrote my very first fanfiction ever. I was...twelve, I think? I wrote it in either late 2001 or early 2002. Wow. Over five years of writing fanfiction. o.o Anyway, if this is the first of my fics you're reading, don't judge me by this one. XD I'm posting this merely for sentimental reasons. I want a copy of it on my account so I can delete it from my computer if I ever need to, or if my flash drive gets lost...x.X What a horrible thought. I think I just scared myself.

Nothing has been changed from the original version except for correcting spelling. I even left my horrible punctuation intact. XD Oh, and when it says "soon after Redwall is finished," it means they finished building it, not the book. Yeah. Just so there's no confusion. -sweatdrop-

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_Summary:_ After Martin killed Badrang, he couldn't find Rose. What he didn't know was that she had been knocked unconscious and rolled in a ditch. She came to a few days later and was lost. Martin and the others had given up hope and left. This story begins soon after Redwall is finished.

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Gonff was worried about Martin. Martin seemed even more depressed than usual. The only thing different at Redwall this spring was that the roses in the garden had bloomed later than usual. Gonff didn't know why this would make Martin more sad than usual, for Martin had told nobeast of his history. 

"Hey mate," he asked Martin when he found him by the rosebush. "what's wrong?" Martin didn't answer. He seemed as if he didn't hear Gonff.

"What's the matter?" asked a voice next to Gonff. It was the traveler Gonff had met when he was returning from helping the shrews build their longboats for the season.

"I'm worried about him." Gonff said. "Maybe you can talk to him." Without realizing it, nobeast had told the traveler Martin's name. Gonff left her with Martin.

"Hello." She told him.

"Hi." Martin replied dully.

"Do you like music?" she asked. Martin nodded. The traveler sang a sad song bout a lost love. When she finished, Martin's face was wet with tears.

"I'm sorry," the traveler said, "I shouldn't have sang such a sad song."

"It wasn't the song. Your voice just sounds so much like..." his voice trailed off.

"Like whose?"

"Someone I used to know."

After a while in silence, Martin spoke.

"You haven't told me your name yet."

"Laterose of Noonvale."

For a minute Martin seemed to be in shock. He slowly turned his head to her.

"Rose?" he said, breathing fast. Rose looked puzzled. "It's me, Martin." He said.

"Martin?" Rose said in a small voice. Then she broke down, hugged Martin hard, sobbing.

"Oh, Martin, Martin!" She whispered. At the same time, tears of joy were streaming down Martin's face.

"I've missed you so much!" Rose said.

"So have I."

Just then Gonff came to tell Martin dinner was ready. He stopped when he saw Rose and Martin.

"What's going on?" he asked, puzzled. Rose and Martin were gazing at each other smiling. Gonff walked over to them.

"Hey Martin, dinners' ready." Martin stood and helped Rose up, not taking his eyes off her.

"Alright Gonff. We'll be there in a minute." He said. He walked with Rose behind Gonff, his arm around her shoulders. Rose rested her head on Martin's shoulder.

When they went in and sat down, everybeast looked questioningly at Gonff, for nobeast had ever seen Martin smiling before. Gonff just shrugged, and sat down next to Colombine.

Abbess Germaine asked Martin why he seemed so happy all of a sudden. Martin told everybeast the story of his battle with Badrang, starting with when Badrang tied him to a post for the birds, and how Rose saved his life.

From that day on, Rose and Martin spent every day together in the garden. Nobeast ever saw Martin without a smile.

One cold winter morning Rose came down to breakfast and didn't look as cheerful as usual.

"What's wrong?" Martin asked, starting to get worried.

"Just a headache." Rose told him. "I'm fine. It'll go away soon." But Martin was still worried.

Later that day, when they were helping in the kitchen, Rose swayed a little.

"Rose?" Martin asked, a worried look on his face.

"I'm alright. I just feel dizzy." She said. Then she fainted.

"Rose!" Martin cried out, alarmed. He rushed over to her.

"Get her to the Infirmary" said Abbess Germaine, who had walked in in time to see Rose faint. Martin picked Rose up gently and carried her to the Infirmary.

Martin didn't leave the Infirmary that night. Then Colombine came in.

"She'll be alright, Martin. She just has a cold. She should come to soon." Martin looked relieved, but still worried.

The next morning, Rose woke up.

"Ohhhh." she groaned and put a hand up to her head. "What...what happened?"

Martin smiled, tired but relieved. "You caught cold and fainted."

Rose laughed weakly. "I've been knocked unconscious, lost in the woods, and been in battle, and I faint when I catch a little cold. Imagine that!" Martin smiled again.

One day the next spring, Martin couldn't find Rose. He started to get worried when out the window he saw her in the garden.

"There you are." he said when he reached her. "Next time, could you at least leave a note, or tell Gonff or somebeast you're outside."

"Martin, you don't need to be so worried. And I 'd let you know for sure if I was going outside the Abbey walls."

"You'd better not leave the walls without telling me," Martin said gently. "something could happen to you. Come on, let's go eat breakfast."

Later, in the summer, Rose left a note by Martin's bed saying she awoke early and went out to the garden. Marti went out the garden, where he saw Rose at the far end, her back to him. Martin picked a rose from the rosebush beside him and walked over to her quietly. He gently slipped the flower in front of Rose and put his arms around her shoulders.

"Will you marry me?" he whispered in her ear. Rose took the flower and turned around, her eyes shining. Then she hugged Martin hard.

"Oh Martin, of course I will!" she said.

A few minutes later Gonff came to the front of the garden to tell them breakfast was almost ready.

"Almost time to eat!" he shouted. Rose and Martin came out of the garden, hardly noticing Gonff.

When Rose when to help with any last-minute baking there might be, Gonff slid in beside Martin.

"What up, mate?" he asked. Martin, head on his hand with a faraway look, didn't answer. Gonff tapped him on the shoulder. "Martin!" he said.

"Hmm?" Martin said absently, still smiling.

"What's up?" Gonff asked again. "You look like you're in another world." Just then Rose came back in and sat on the other side of Martin. Gonff saw how the look on Martin's face changed. He seemed to see nothing and nobeast but Rose, even while eating. It was almost as if he didn't even know _what_ he was eating!

Later, when Rose went to bed, Gonff asked Martin, "So, what happened today?"

"What do you mean?" Martin asked absently.

"All day you've ignored practically everybeast but Rose."

"I asked her to marry me this morning."

"And she said yes, right?"

"Correct."

The next day, Martin stood up at breakfast with Rose and announced what he'd told Gonff last night. They would go to Noonvale next spring to get married then return to Redwall. Then they sat down amid thousands of congratulations.

THE END

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Just a quick repeat of what's at the top: PLEASE DO NOT judge my writing based on this. -sweatdrop- Very first fanfic, posted merely for archival and sentimental reasons. 


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